Survey Corpse
by FourSteps
Summary: Alice has been through it all. She trusts no one. Tonma has been through it all. She has faith in the world. Two unlikely friends in an unlikely situation. As the Survey Corpse group struggles to survive the outbreak of the zombie apocalypse, personalities will clash, friendships will blossom, and the light at the end of the tunnel will seem but a faraway dream.
1. Chapter 1

By now, I've given up on counting how many days has passed since the new era was brought upon mankind. I've no time to mourn for all my loved ones that have been lost, don't have the time for tears for as soon as they die- they come back. Just not as themselves. They come back as one of these THINGS that try to take a chomp at your flesh whenever the opportunity comes by. All the survivors have their own nifty nicknames for them. For most, they're known as zombies, but I think that the name is too generic and tries to cling on to the world and what it used to be. I have my own nickname for them. I call them 'The Risen'- got it from this one game I played back when the world was actually an okay place.

After what feels like has been years, I have guidelines that are always followed. It's just as my parents told me, you learn from experience. God, I'd give anything if I could just see their faces one more time...

People in this world have changed and because of that, so have I. So, thanks to them, I know the main rule to survival- trust no one. This world turns people rotten; Rotten to the core. So I found it best to go on my own, since there are no people in this world that are capable of being trusted. I come across groups here and there, but I never stay for too long. I take what I need and leave without the need to say goodbye.

Today, I'm with a group of people- well, more like was. We had just gotten out of our base, which was a library that looked more like a prison of entrapment than an all-aged place for people to read at their leisure. These people are like most in is world now- dirty, sneaky, and back-stabbing. I was actually planning on leaving when-

"Alice, you're comin' with us for supplies huntin'." The leader, I believe his name was Marshall, hollered in a thick country accent.

Him and I never got along-ever. I never agreed with his way of ruling over things, and he never liked my 'back-talking' as he so called it. I hated the way that he thought he was superior to all of us. He rationed the food 90-10; him being 90 and the rest being the 10. His men were too idiotic to realize that they were being deprived of food.

I stared him straight in the eye. Something was up, he NEVER let me go with them, often saying I was hiding food and meds from the group under my sleeping bag.

"Why should I? You'll just end up taking what I found for yourself."

I knew I had said something that I shouldn't of when in the blink of an eye, my body was hanging and I was being lifted by the collar of my shirt by a fuming Marshall.

I pushed too far. It looked like he had snapped. The worst thing that could happen now is that Marshall and his group would beat me half to death, abuse me, and then throw me out in a weakened state to be torn apart by 'The Risen'. It's been done before, so why should I think that it couldn't happen to me as well?

"Listen here, Alice," he spat out, slamming my body against the wall. "You best keep that trap o'yours shut. Be grateful that I'd been feelin' in a good mood all day. Now-I'll repeat myself again clearer. You're comin' with us to go supplies huntin'."

He slammed my back against the wall with the intention of bruising my bones. "Alright?"

I grit my teeth, trying to get a grip on the anger I was feeling. For now, I need to suck up my pride, and trick this a-hole. I'll make my escape when we go looking for supplies.

Rage increasing from the lack of cooperation, he smashed my form into the wall with all the strength that he could muster, making me slam my head at the contact.

"Am I clear, Alice?"

"Yes, sir." I mumbled,

My bruised form crumpled to the ground ungracefully as the world spun in circles. The shallowness of my breathing rung in my ears, and my heart beat at such a speed, one would think I was having a heart attack. Closing my eyes, I held back the tears that threatened to fall.

'I can't cry even if I wanted to. I've shed so many tears for others, there aren't any left for myself.'

I looked up, glaring at the back of the man walking away from me. The room echoed with the sound of Marshall and the rest of his group packing up, getting ready to hit the road. Standing up, my resolve shown bright in my eyes.

 _'Marshall. I'm not going to leave this group without making my mark._ '

XX

Now that leads me to my current situation. We left the library after we got all of our weapons ready. Marshall and his men were claiming that I was awaiting death for my weapons of choice. I had a bow and arrows, but I also had a katana- otherwise known as a samurai blade. Marshall calls it 'The Death Wish Weapon", but I happen to think on the contrary.

'The Risen' are attracted to sound. Once they've gotten a hint of it, they'll just keep on walking towards the general direction of where the sound came from. That's how a horde is made. I'd rather put a bit of effort and strength into fighting one or two, then to have a horde of 50 of them come at me all at once.

This all leads to what causes the current predicament.

"Listen here you dumbasses. Especially Princess I-don't-listen." Marshall hollers as we walk down a deserted street. He gave me a pointed look, to which I returned with a heated glare.

"Just get on with it, Drill Sergeant." I spat out, walking behind him, a firm grip on the hilt of my sword.

"We have to save ammo- so we're goin' to try and avoid as many of these fuckers as possible, alright?"

The two of his men started to complain at that. They were whining and fussing over how they wanted target practice and things of the sort. I never really bothered to pay attention as to who they were, nor even give them the time of day to remember their names.

"No wastin' ammo. End of story." Marshall ended the conversation on that note,

Well, the two morons didn't follow orders and they blew off the head of a 'Risen' that was trapped underneath the wheel of a car because its intestines were tangled around the wheel itself in some form of a sadistic knot. That one shot drew out a lot of them. I couldn't keep count. They got torn apart faster than I could blink.

Trying to back away and make my escape, 'The Risen' took an interest in me, too. I focused on the one closest to me- tattered flannel with awful blood-stained orange swim trunks. Its jaw was slack, as the skin and bone around the mouth area had been ripped, more like eaten, off. I unsheathed my sword and swung. Aiming at his outstretched arms, I cut them off with ease, little blood coming from the walking corpse. As he stumbled, I took my chance and swung once more, chopping off his head and letting it roll away on the floor.

There were two more that seemed to have gained interest slowly walking towards, so I turned to them and asked," Did you enjoy it?"

"Did you enjoy eating those two men?"

The only responses I'd gained were incoherent garbles.

"Tch. I expected as much."

It's head fell to the ground before its body did. Finishing off the rest of 'The Risen" that were blocking the road to my escape, I took a second to look at my surroundings.

"Alice! Get over here and help me!"

The voice belonged to Marshall. He was caught in the middle of the horde. I could see the newly reanimated corpses of the two who got recently eaten rise up and start clumping together around the man. I felt the urge to laugh at how afraid he looked. It was obvious that he had run out of bullets with the way he was swinging the end of his rifle around like a madman.

"Alice! Please- are you actually going to leave another human to die?"

I turned around and stared at the clear road ahead of me. The road outstretched away from the plaza and had open plains all around. No 'Risen' in sight.

I didn't look back. "You stopped being human a long time ago, Marshall. Everybody stopped being human the moment this all started."

I started jogging down the empty road, the groans of 'The Risen' were only slightly coherent after a while of jogging, so I knew I was safe. But I just didn't stop. I kept jogging until my leg muscles screamed at me for mercy to stop, and yet I still kept going.

This world turns people rotten. So I found it best to keep to myself- kind of like a lone wolf, you could put it. I can't find it in myself to trust anymore. I'm all alone...

Alone I have to stay.

XX

Day turned into night easily nowadays. There isn't that boredom you feel when you don't have anything to do at home. I find fun in cutting and slicing the limbs off of 'The Risen' when I am traveling. That's how I spend my time.

Tonight is a strange night. It's calm, quiet, even peaceful almost. With the amount of serenity at night, you'd find it hard to believe that everything had turned to shit. It was dead silence.

I hate the silence.

When there is silence, you think. When you think, you remember. Remember the past and your friends, remembering their corpses lying on the side of the road. Remembering your family and how you would all sit together at the dining table. Then...

I can't have silence. If I do, I'd...

I sleep on the rooftops of the houses, since 'The Risen' are incapable of climbing. I was always climbing up onto the rooftops, even as a child. I'd get laughed at by the neighbors' children, and even called 'Monkey-girl' by them. They cried and pleaded to take them up onto the rooftops when 'The Risen' were surrounding them. I couldn't carry extra weight at the time, since I wasn't strong enough as a kid. All I could do was watch from the safety of the roof of my home and they tried desperately to climb, but were snatched by the ankles and torn apart.

All I could think at the time was how wrong they were in judging me.

I stare up at the bright night sky, sprinkled with millions of stars that glow against the pitch blackness.

 _'Huh. There are so many stars compared to when there were cars still working...It's nice.'_

I leaned back against the roof, putting my arms behind my head to use as a cushion. The mess that was my hair fell down to my shoulders, causing me to cringe as soon as I caught a glimpse of it.

"I need to cut it again," I sighed. "Might as well do it now so it won't cause problems later."

Shifting, I grabbed the carving knife out of my back pocket, and began cutting. The wisps of my red hair fell onto the ground far below the rooftop. By the time I was done, I had my bangs up to my ears, and the rest of my wavy hair up to the nape of my neck unevenly.

I raised the knife to look at my reflection in it. Two eyes stared back at me hauntingly. The golden-hazel of my eyes stared back through the reflection, questioning me. I'd glare and they'd glare right back. Every time I look at my eyes, my parents flash through my mind. Without my eyes, I could not see, nor would I remember.

There are times when I don't want to remember.

Putting the knife back into my pocket, I leaned against the rooftop sleepily. Turning my head to the side, my eyes shot open.

There was a fire. It looked like smoke from a campfire.

I gave a small toothy grin to myself, closing my eyes, imprinting the location of the smoke into my mind for the next morning. Shifting into a more comfortable position, my resolve became clearer.

Looks like I have somewhere to go tomorrow.

XX

For some reason when I woke up the smoke was still going on strong. I wonder how many 'Risen' they attracted with that. Are they still even alive?

Today has been awfully quiet. There aren't any 'Risen' around so there isn't anything to keep me occupied. I walked down the lonely road, littered with corpses. I had to walk with caution though, because I can't trust the corpses. The houses surrounding the one edge of the road were beaten and torn down. I paused and stared at one that caught my eye. All was left were the wood panels that held up the house, and some of the furniture that was left inside. It seemed like someone had scrapped it for parts... but for what?

I snapped out of the trance that I had been in, I continued walking. Walking down the road, I found a new habit of humming incoherent songs to myself to keep myself from acknowledging the silence.

My internal clock felt that it took about an hour to reach where the smoke was coming from. 'The Risen' had been drawn to the flames like moths, but they were all lying on the ground dead. All of them...

Every single one had either been shot or stabbed straight through the head, or had the entire area of the frontal lobe of the brain cut off. I kept that attack in the back of my mind for later use.

As I approached my destination, I looked and realized that is was far away from any civilization. It was a farmhouse with a generic red and white barn to the side of it. Wide plains of semi tall grass were all that surrounded it-alongside the barbed wire fence that reached up to my waist. The old, red and white farmhouse stood tall, with actual living livestock and horses that can be seen from the outside.

"Where are the people?" I mumbled to myself in thought.

I easily jumped over the fence, ending with only a few cuts and scratches on my hands from the barbed wire. I sneaked my way over to the barn to see if there were any survivors. Searching for any signs of life, I entered the barn and saw a horse tied to a wooden stake that stood upright from the ground.

"I...I haven't seen one of you in a long time."

The horse was pure white, as was its mane. As I got in front of the horse, it watched me unnervingly. I glanced to its side and saw that there was a satchel. Walking closer and opening the satchel on the horse's side, a water bottle fell out. My eyes widened as I picked up the water bottle and searched the bag thoroughly. There was water, cans of fruit, and even a couple of carrots inside that were meant for the horse,

I looked into the horse's eyes. "Whoever it was that took care of you, took good care of you."

Preparing to mount the horse, I mumbled to it in plea."I'm sorry, but I need your help to get far away from here..."

Pulling myself to sit upright on the saddle of the white steed, I secured my weapons, and took a sip of the water from the water bottle that had come out of the satchel. The horse whinnying in response to me, I grinned and prepared to kick off and leave-

"You have five seconds to get off of my horse before I shoot you where you stand."


	2. Chapter 2

Normally, when situations take a dark turn I'd be able to just slice and dice my problems away. It's been so long since actual civilized people have been around, I tend to stutter and flounder about uselessly like a fish out of water. That's exactly what was happening right now.

"Do I need to repeat myself? Get off my damn horse before I decide to shoot you."

Nervously, I tried to calm down what little sense I had left, before climbing off of the stallion with the grace of a Risen with no limbs. When my feet hit the ground, I struggled to stay focused on my captor while also trying to find an escape route around him or a way to take him down.

"You're testing my patience, Miss. Mind telling me why you thought it was a good idea to steal my horse?"

Swallowing the forming lump in my throat, I took a good look at my captor. He was very tall, with an almost perfect blonde haircut, but I'm distracted from it as he had two incredibly thick eyebrows. His blue eyes gave a stare down that screamed intimidation; however it wasn't his stare that frightened me...

I'm in a situation where my life is most likely on the line and all I can think about is the two caterpillars that are on this man's face.

"Answer me!" He bellows in a deep voice.

"Um..." I try to speak. "Sorry, Sir. But your eyebrows are distracting me."

My mother always used to tell me that I was incredibly blunt and straightforward with my words and that may put me in a bad situation. I never really found a reason to heed her warnings.

"WHAT?"

Until now, though.

XX

This couldn't be good. I ran out of the old farmhouse as I heard Erwin's deep bellow. I can only imagine how the poor soul stuck in the barn feels. I swear he can be just as bad as the Risen when he's upset.

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. As I approached the classic styled red and white barn, I heard what seemed to be a girl yell. My pace picked up. I burst through the barn doors just as Erwin raised the gun to shoot the girl who had been the source of the scream.

"You think it's funny? Stealing a man's horse? You know what I think'll be funny? Popping a cap in that grimy face o' yours!" Erwin bellowed as he cocked the shiny revolver in his grasp.

"Stop!" I shrieked, throwing myself in front of the shocked male. "Don't touch her, Smith."

"Out of my way Miss Morals or I'll shoot you too. This one was trying to steal Hershel." He gestured to the girl behind me.

I stood my ground, unfazed by his words.

"What's happening-"We heard yelling."-"Tonma, Erwin, what's going on?" The rest of the group filed into the barn.

"E-Erwin?" Petra looked at the gun. "What's happening?"

At that moment, a cold blade was pressed to my throat.

XX

I had managed to put myself into a corner, so I found that this was my best choice of action to try and escape. The girl stiffened as soon as I pressed my spare blade against her throat. I pressed down hard enough to the point that it threatened to break skin.

The moment the blonde, Erwin, saw that she was being endangered, everything went into action. I didn't acknowledge that I was flat against the ground with a blade to my throat until several moments later. The girl was being checked for wounds by Erwin, while I was pinned to the ground by a man that was surprisingly short in stature. He had black hair with an undercut, along with eyes that were staring into my own with such a look of hatred and disgust. My own glare faltered for a second, before having to return in case my defenses fell down.

"Tch, you shouldn't have tried that." The man said, pinning me to the ground.

"You don't know me." I spat back.

"Like that matters."

XX

I could still feel the imprint of the cold blade at my neck. I've seen this all before, in trapped animals. She didn't want to hurt me, she just wanted to escape. She was scared. And you come to learn that a scared animal is the most dangerous.

"Are you alright? Did she break skin? Are you bleeding?" Erwin asked, frantically searching my neck for wounds.

"I'm fine, can you please let go?" I gently pushed his hands down, walking over to the girl being straddled by Levi. I put my hand on his shoulder and smiled lightly. He stood up and walked back over to the rest of the group.

"Am I going to die?" She looked up at me with eyes hardened by this hell we call surviving.

"Not if I have anything to say about it." I replied quietly, reaching my hand out.

XX

In all my years of being in this new world, I've never encountered a person with such hope and faith shining brightly through their eyes like hers. When she reached out her hand, I was stuck in a loop. Hope doesn't resurface for me, I've lost my faith a long time ago after...

For the first time, I wanted to let my faith rise back. I wished for it to envelop my bruised and battered excuse of a heart. I made eye contact at the girl who's hand was outstretched in my direction. The hope sparkled brightly, and it confused me.

Once again I smothered the hope, faith, and possible trust that arose. All I could do was give her a pained glare.

"I don't know what you're expecting. If I take your hand, I don't want my hopes to get crushed again. If I don't take your hand, I'm going to die, aren't I? I'm not ready to die yet... If I take your hand, I don't think I'll be able to let go. Whatever you're expecting-"

I paused and realized the wetness of my face, noticing that they were tears. I don't remember the last time I cried. It was simply just one or two tears running down my cheeks, but it was enough to leave me in shock. That's when I didn't recognize the words coming out of my mouth.

"Whatever you're expecting, I-I don't know when you'll get it or what you're even going to get in the end. I just tried to kill you and I could try again, so..."

I put my hands over my face then stared up at her with a tired expression. "What do you want from me?"

The sound of my heartbeat was deafening to my own ears, as if it was the only sound I could hear in the barn. I wasn't receiving an answer from the girl or the other members of the group that stood solemnly around the scene that was coming to a close. I looked down to my knees and my vision blurred.

Tears fell down.

XX

I could feel the tears well up in my eyes as I looked down at the shell of what was once a strong survivor. She was broken, just like all of us. Just like me...

I needed to show her. Show her that there is still a reason to hope. To have faith.

As the tears poured from my eyes, blurring my vision and fogging my glasses, I bent down and looked at the girl straight on. And then...

I hugged her.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry... please, don't cry. I-I know you think that the world is evil, but there is good. Bad things happen, b-but we can't let them define who we are. We have to keep fighting, because if we don't... then we lose ourselves. But then even worse, we lose each other." I continued to hug her, rocking back and forth.

"Please... keep fighting."

XX

After that little scene, everything was just a blur. The group walked out in shocked silence about my outburst and the response that I had received. Erwin bound my arms and legs together with rope and put duct tape over it for extra precautions.

"Don't you even think about trying anything." Erwin snapped out.

I gave a hollow stare as he huffed and stepped out of the barn. The girl tried to give me a reassuring look before being pushed out by Erwin. The door slammed shut, and a clicking sound followed soon after signaling that the barn had been locked with a lock or a wooden panel of some sorts.

The only miniscule sources of light were the microscopic spaces between the boards that made up the damn barn. With my arms and legs bound, I lay on the grassy surface of the floor and listened to my own heartbeat. It pounded in my ears like a drum steadily increasing in speed and power. I stilled as much as possible and focused breathing.

Air came easily this time, the angry drummer in my ears and the tightness in my chest slowly went away little by little. However, I still couldn't use my arms or legs and I could no longer see anything in front of me. I was stuck in a corner, unable to move; unable to escape.

I was just cattle waiting for the slaughterhouse and the barn only helped to paint the picture better. At this thought, I laughed to myself.

It was a dry laugh.

XX

"I say we put a knife to her throat!" Erwin exclaimed, pink in the face from the occurrences in the barn.

"What if we just let her go? While she's asleep we could just put her in the forest so she can't find us again." Petra reasoned. Erd, Gunther, and Auruo grunted in approval.

"I say we snap the brat's neck while she's distracted." A disgruntled Levi proposed, his signature expression present.

As they began to argue amongst themselves, I leaned against the wall of the farmhouse, closing my eyes and rubbing my temples. I'd wait this one out for a bit, still being so new to the group. I'd rather not get my skull bashed in during one of Erwin or Levi's temper tantrums. Aw, sunshine.

"This is nonsense. We're killing her. That's final-"

"No!" I jumped forward.

"I'm sorry? Did you just say no?" Erwin raised one thick eyebrow.

I wasn't going to back down. Not again. Not like last time.

"I won't let you touch her. She's a human being for Pete's sake! Hurt her and I-I'll kill you! I-I swear I will!" By now I was shaking, remembering what had happened the last time I had threatened someone like that...

The silence that filled the room was deafening. For a second, I could see shock register on Erwin's features. Just as soon as it came though, it was gone, replaced with a sort of solemnness.

"Very well then. We won't hurt her, but she's your problem now." Turning to walk away he added, "and when she's stabbed you in the back and you're choking on your own blood, don't say I didn't tell you so." With that said, he walked up the stairs, Levi behind him.

The others began shuffling their feet awkwardly, bidding their goodnights and walking to their rooms, never once making eye contact.

I'm not sure how long I stood there, thinking, silent tears sliding down my cheeks.

Wiping them away quickly I grabbed a few blankets and some food, quietly sneaking out of the house, making my way towards the barn.

She was just like her... her expression, the way she looked, her emotions, everything. I had to help her. I had to save her from herself.

Peering into the dark barn, I lit the oil lamps on the walls. There, in the corner she lay asleep, covered in hay.

Making my way over to her as quietly as I could, I brushed the hay off and covered her with the blankets. Laying the food down next to her, I turned to leave.

That was when I felt her grab my wrist.

XX

I sleepily opened my eyes to the girl that had made her way into the barn. I looked down and noticed that I had blankets now instead of hay. On instinct I had grabbed her wrist while in my sleep like comatose. As the weariness left my eyes and my senses awakened, the smell of bread wafted into my sense of smell.

I felt my mouth water, as I let go of her wrist and launched to the food. I grabbed the small loaf of bread with a bit of difficulty considering my hands were bound together. Immediately though, scarfing down the bread along with the cheese that had been brought down, I remembered the girl that was still in the barn, but was staring at me in slight shock.

I swallowed the last bit of food down, huffed and stared at the girl. We looked at each other, having a conversation with our eyes. I didn't find the need to say anything, and neither did she.

 _'I'm with you every step of the way._ ' Her look said to me.

 _'I'll try to do the same.'_ I stared back, blowing hair out of my face.

She left the barn, the slam and click of the door being shut and locked resonating throughout the dimly lit space.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, I awoke to the bright light of the sun shining through the open doors of the barn. I opened my eyes only to immediately shut them from the sheer brightness. I heard the voices of two men speaking, although I didn't register what they were saying until suddenly I was grasped roughly by my bound wrists and forced to stand.

I squinted my eyes open and saw that they were the two men from the day before. Erwin was standing a few feet away, while the short raven haired man was the one who was holding my wrists tightly.

"Good morning, redhead. We've made our decision." Erwin said with his overpowering tone.

I blinked the sleep out of my eyes and immediately woke up at the words. The look I must have given off made both of the men slightly smirk before Erwin continued on.

Erwin turned to the man holding my wrists. "Levi."

"Hn." The man, Levi, responded. We made eye contact for a brief moment before he bent down, retrieving a hunting knife from his back pocket and began cutting away the bonds that held my legs together.

"Shit, Erwin did you have to make this so difficult to break off?" Levi snapped as he struggle to remove the rope and duct tape.

My attention returned to Erwin when he cleared his throat, my head snapping back up to look at him.

"We've decided that you are going to stay here with our group. Whether or not you agree is irrelevant, as you are too dangerous to be let go." Erwin dictated quickly.

I nodded my head in understanding.

"Good to know you're smart and understand the situation." Erwin sarcastically complimented. "You'll be staying with us, so we'll have members from our group show you how to handle the ropes around here." He explained.

By this time, Levi was now working on the bonds on my wrists. He grabbed my hands gently to re-positioning my arms so he wouldn't cut me. I glanced down at the movement and we made eye contact yet again. Lingering for a while, I managed to return my attention to Erwin.

"Also, since you have yet to gain the trust of anyone here, although I doubt you will, but until you do, you will have one member of the group with you at all times." He explained. "Because of this, all of your weapons have and _will_ stay confiscated until further notice."

With a final snap, Levi had finished removing the bonds on my wrists and had thrown them somewhere adjacent to where we were. He stood up, brushing the dirt and hay on his pants away. Glancing at me once more, he huffed, going behind me and gripping my shoulder.

"I'll be watching you today since shit-faced Commander Eyebrows here asked me to." Levi snapped, glaring at Erwin the entire time he spoke.

I silently hissed as I rubbed my wrists to try and ease the pain. I t remained silent in the barn for a bit as I guess they expected some sort of response, but I didn't find it in myself to speak out. The silence lasted for a few moments more before I looked up and nodded at both of them in recognition.

Erwin cleared his throat once more before nodding his head slightly. "Get to it then."

He began to walk out of the open doors of the barn. That was when the bodies of the people eavesdropping on the event became visible to us. Levi pushed me forward slightly.

"Don't make me regret my decision, redhead." Erwin snapped, looking into my eyes.

I stared back, and I smiled, albeit somewhat sadly as his words struck a chord in me- resurfacing wounds that were still tender in my heart. "Alright, I promise."

I raised my hand, the tension thick in the surrounding area as others tensed. Holding out my pinky and looking at him, I continued. "Do you?"

There was a deafening silence as Erwin stood there aghast, all the while unmoving. Then, giving me a look I couldn't identify, he snapped. "Get to work."

Walking off along with most of the group, he and the rest returned to their positions. I put my hand back and my side, clenching it slightly. Imagining what he would have done if he had the slightest shimmer of trust in his eyes; him intertwining his pinky with mine and responding.

"Come on, brat." Levi barked, pushing me forward roughly, but I stumbled instead and fell to the ground. Looking up at the cold raven haired man, only to smile solemnly, there was a single word running through my mind.

 _Promise._

After my failed attempt at gaining the group's trust, Levi simply stood with a permanent look of indifference on his face. After a moment or so I stood up, brushing imaginary wrinkles off of my shirt, then spinning around to face him and grin.

"So does this make you my parol officer?" I tried to crack a joke.

His eyes squinted at me, before he huffed and walked past me. "Listen. You almost died just a few moments ago. I favored the fucking idea, too. So if you try _anything_ , know that I'll be the one sticking a knife through your head."

Ar his words, a thought came to my mind. I walked around Levi, stopping in front of him. I grabbed his shoulders lightly and looked into his eyes. Eyes show everything, even with a monotone face, you can't change what your eyes show. I saw distrust, anger and hope. I saw curiosity. He probably thinks I'm strange or even insane, but that didn't matter. I do what I do for specific reasons.

Not understanding my actions, Levi glared at me. "What are you trying to do here?" Anger and confusion.

With those words, I snapped out of my thoughts. Maybe I am mad. I stared at him for a moment before lowering my vision to the ground, lightly grinning.

 _'I shouldn't even be trying to make friends...but I get a certain feeling from these people.'_

"I'll put up a fight."

After a while, I lifted my head to look at Levi directly in the eyes. He seemed shocked for the the slightest of moments, but it vanished as quick as it came. He glared back at me and began walking towards the white farm house.

"Come on. You've already wasted enough time as is, shitty brat."

I followed behind him without another word. I observed the back of his head, then changed my target to the farm house that was nearing quickly. On the patio, there was the girl that had given me blankets and food the night before, a much shorter girl and a tall, angry looking man standing in a circle talking and joking with one another.

"Petra, Auruo, Tonma. She's here; make sure to call me over when you're done working with her. The brat's my problem for today." Levi spoke, lacing his words with annoyance before walking into the house shutting the door behind him.

I glared at the other two with full force, but I couldn't being myself to fully glare at the girl-Tonma, was it? I made my state a little less menacing when I looked at her. I made a slight nod in her direction.

 _'Might as well try to make acquaintances.'_

XX

I nodded in reply, a small smile playing on my features.

"So what's your opinion on the subject, Tonma?" Petra asked politely, trying to include me in the conversation.

"O-oh yeah, hatchets. Great weapon. Fast, quiet, and deadly... I enjoy carrying then a lot...Always love one on me in my pack." Feeling their eyes boring into me I looked at my boots.

"So you like weapons I take it?" The redhead questioned, cocking one eyebrow.

I laughed awkwardly, looking up at her a bit. "Yeah, I grew up in a family where everyone had a weapon with them at all times."

"But isn't that-? What if someone got _hurt_?" Petra cried, eyes wide.

I looked over at her with a sad smile. "If there's one thing my dad always told me, it's that weapons don't kill people; people kill people."

A small smile flickered on the redhead's face, and I could of sworn I saw her mouth one word.

 _Promise._

XX

So far, everything was going surprisingly well. Tonma had gone and showed me how to take care of the farm animals, talking to me about the times and days I'll be assigned to feed them.

"Just don't kill them." Levi had said from outside of the barn.

My mood had managed to drop even more sour as he managed to find a way to ruin it whenever I managed to find a bit of happiness.

Now, we were back inside of the house, with Tonma showing me where they keep the weapons. They were kept in a metal locker that had a somewhat rusty school lock that everyone except me knew the combination.

"You're not learning it anytime soon, shitty brat." Levi commented from behind.

Tonma had gone and unlocked it while I turned my head to glare at him. The click of the lock and the creak of the metal door opening made me snap my head back to look at the inside of the locker. My eyes immediately found my hunting knife, bow and arrow, and my sword. Tonma was explaining something, but I zoned out as I stared longingly at my weapons.

I didn't realize she had stopped talking for quite sometime, awaiting a response to something she had asked me until-

"Brat, she asked you a question so don't keep her waiting."

Snapping out of my daze, I looked at Tonma again, noticing the slight awkwardness of her awaiting my response. She shifted from one foot to the other, glancing between Levi and me.

"Where did you get your weapons?" She asked once again.

"My parents." I stated turning around and heading towards the door of the house.

 _'Calm down. It's okay...They're just memories, you can block them off...'_

I brushed by Levi before he realized that I was trying to leave, hearing the confusion of Tonma's voice as she asked where I was going. However, I heard the footsteps of Levi following me, so I went into a sprint. A migraine started and my head pounded, my vision blurring. I didn't manage to make it far, however as I felt myself get struck to the ground.

For the second time, I found myself pinned to the ground by the same raven-haired man. Once again, his group came and surrounded us, watching the scene. I could see Erwin, and he had a certain look on his face, as if he knew this was going to happen. I've seen that look before from others-all directed towards me. I see it every time I leave a survivor's group.

For some reason, I had a gut feeling that these people won't let me go so easily.

"Not again"-"I knew we couldn't trust her!"-"Just kill her, Levi!"

Turning my head to the side, I refused to meet his gaze. I saw Tonma and she was looking at me. I couldn't tell what she was thinking but her stare hurt. _Everyone's stares were burning me._ These people are different. They aren't like any of the groups I have come across. They're vicious, dangerous, and I already know I'm on their bad side.

 _"What the hell is wrong with you?"_ Levi yelled at me.

I stared blankly at him, the blurriness in my eyes and the fuzzy, pounding migraine in my head too much for me to handle. This hasn't ever happened to me before. I haven't messed up this much before, but I'll be damned to tell them that to their faces.

I saw Levi's mouth form words, although I didn't hear them. Eventually, as my migraine took over, my nightmares took forever, plaguing my thoughts-

I sat upright, gasping for air as an ice pack flew into my lap. Not remembering what I dreamed about, I rubbed my forearms to create friction. If's a habit I gained to calm myself down. Once my breathing was back to normal, I focused myself and noticed the girl from before, Petra, sitting next to me in a wooden chair. I looked down and saw that I was on the couch that Levi was sitting on from earlier.

 _'I'm inside...?'_ I thought, turning to glare at Petra, not trusting her in the slightest after the death wishes from before. Whether it was her or not didn't matter. I've been messing up and letting my guard down with these people too many times.

I need to get back on my feet.

Noticing Petra shuffle underneath my glower, it made it clear as to who had to start the conversation.

Another rule that I have is to make sure to have hidden weapons and hidden weapons. There's a major difference. Abruptly standing up, I pulled out my hidden switchblade, opening it and hiding it behind me back. I stared down at Petra, unnerving, while she looked up at me, trying to find the right words to say.

"Wha-" I began, positioning myself to strike her dead so I could make my escape. Weapons or no, I would leave if the opportunity presented itself.

"Are you alright now?"-"Hand over the switchblade, _now_."

The voices came at once from different directions. Petra looked shocked as Erwin ripped mt switch blade from my back pocket. I angrily rolled my eyes and turned to stare up at him.

 _"Give it_ _ **back."**_

"Excuse me? Look at where you're standing." Erwin snapped.

"Like I fucking care. Give it back and let me _go."_ I said, stepping up close to him.

Petra had gone to fetch the others of their group and they were quick to arrive as well. Coming in from the kitchen, the entire group flocked and intervened.

"Listen here, you-" Erwin began, only to get cut off by a less intimidating, but equally powerful voice.

 _ **"Stop it!"**_ Tonma yelled out.

Erwin and I both turned to look at her.

"Just...just stop. _Please._ " She said, stepping past Petra to go and stand in front of us. Tonma sighed, looking at both of us.

"Give her back her switchblade, Erwin."

To say I was the only on who looked shocked would be an understatement. Erwin's head snapped like a twig to look at her the moment she spoke those words. Petra, Auruo, and even Levi had a flicker of confusion.

"Tonma, she just tried to kill Petra, _we can't-"_

 _"And why do think she tried to, Erwin?"_ She snapped back.

"The moment she got here we stripped her of her weapons and now we're trying to keep her in a cage! She's not an animal!"

Tonma turned to look at the others. "You all would be acting the same as her!"

XX

I stared at them, mouth open and brows furrowed. Hypocrites. They were such hypocrites.

"You know, if you keep treating her like a devil she's going to act like one."

And with that, I grabbed the girl's arm and walked out of the room. I knew they wouldn't follow me. They might be jerks, but they're not stupid.

"Where are we going?" She looked at me, suspicion in her eyes.

I shrugged, "Wherever the road takes us I guess." With a dry chuckle I kept walking.

That 'road' just so happened to take us to the kitchen. It was simple. Old appliances, checkered linoleum tile, white tile back splash. It did its job though, and it was actually kind of nice. Homey. Nostalgia in a world of the forgotten.

"Are you hungry? We haven't got much, but it's better than nothing." I smiled lightly at her. Her expression, though, was once again suspicious, as she looked at me through uneven red bangs.

"I'll take that as a yes." With that I tossed her an apple and set a bowl of lukewarm oatmeal from breakfast in front of her.

Taking a seat opposite of her, I watched as she carefully inspected the food.

"Don't worry. I didn't poison it." Her head snapped up to look at me.

Coughing awkwardly I averted her gaze. "Sorry about that... I have a bit of a twisted sense of humor you could say. Anyway, why don't you tell me a bit about yourself?"

XX

I was too hungry at the moment to continue to question and deny my already malnutritioned self. I took the apple that sat before me and took a large bite, choosing to speak with my mouth full; very unlady-like.

"Name's Alice. I don't know how old I am but I _can_ tell you it's been a hell of a long time for me since this all started when I was little."

Swallowing and taking another bite, I continued. _"Since_ it's been a hell of a long time I've learned to tell the dead from the living; good from the bad..."

I set the half eaten apple down next to the lukewarm oatmeal and made eye contact.

"My question to you is why are _you_ here with _them?"_


	4. Chapter 4

**_"How far are we, Tonma?"_**

 _"Not far, hon." I ruffled her short red hair, smiling at her out of the corner of my eye._

 _Together we trudged through the forest, finding contentment in the silence of each others company._

Avoiding her gaze, I cleared my throat and stood up.

"That's a story for another time."

XXX

She left the room albeit pretty quickly, and I was left to my own thoughts, silently finishing the food that she had been grateful enough to give to me. As I was finishing the apple, there was muffled speech from the other room followed by footsteps heading towards me. Next thing I know, there were people in the room to which I refused to meet their gaze.

"Get up."

I stood up, refusing to meet gaze with Levi, who had entered the room and proceeded to stand next to my seat with a rather impatient look on his face. I looked at the door leading outside of the room only to see it blocked by the small crowd that had formed, Erwin in front, hand on Tonma's shoulder. Cursing under my breath as I found no other solution, I walked towards him. Noticing this, he split away and took a step in my direction.

"Do you have something to say?" He gave me a warning look, but I just huffed and brushed beside him.

"I'm taking the fucking courtesy of locking myself back in the barn, because that's what you came here for, right?"

Making my way through the house, when I caught sight of the door, I kicked it open and marched my way towards the barn until I was close enough to tear open the doors and lock myself inside.

 _"Oi, redhead-"_ I heard Levi's angered voice yell.

I slammed the doors closed and ran to the furthest corner of the hay filled room, crouching down trying to find anything that could help escape and then I could-

 _"What are you trying to do?"_ It was Erwin.

"Erwin, leave her." Levi.

"You're damn lucky Tonma wants you here! I wanted to kill you on the spot!"

My god, isn't there _anything-_

"God damn it, Erwin! Just stop."

"No! Tonma shouldn't be treating this girl like a fucking guest!"

Aha.

 **A loose panel.**

 **XXXX**

 _"Is that it?" She asked, running forward._

 _"Hey, slow down there!" I chuckled, jogging after the young girl._

 _A scream pierced the silent woods as time seemed to slow down. I began to sprint, flipping out my switchblade._

 ** _"Get off of her!"_**

 _Grabbing the back of the rotting corpse's back, I yanked it off of her, flesh coming off in my hands. Holding the walker against a tree, I slid the blade into its eye._

 _"Are you okay?" I rushed over to my young partner, frantically checking over her for bites._

 _"I-I'm okay..."_ She whispe _red, hazel eyes wide._

 _"It's gone, hon." I hugged her gently, keeping her close as though I were guarding her from the world._

 _"I promise I'll never let anything happen to you."_

 ** _Sometimes, we make promises we can't keep, no matter how much we wish we could've."_**

 ** _XXX_**

Sometime after Levi had managed to calm Erwin down is when I made my escape. It'll be dangerous to leave without any weapon of choice whatsoever, but right now is the best chance that I have. Grasping the edge of the wooden panel, I pushed down as hard I could until it bent no more, snapping suddenly and coming off in my hands with an audible crack. Wincing at the sound, I eyed the gap that had made.

 _'I can make it.'_

I made myself as small as possible before inching my way through, cautious of my surroundings and the outside slowly but surely filled my vision. My heart raced as I repeatedly checked that there weren't any footsteps, whether it be Erwin or a risen. Then, with a loud rustle, I escaped and ran.

"I am getting out of here." I chanted to myself. With no clue as to where I could go, my heart pounding and my lungs screaming for more air that I could give, I focused on the fence coming into sight.

Not stopping, I bounced off of the fence, coming into contact with it with a loud clang. I could care less about how much sound I made at this point, glancing around me wildly, looking for an opening. Grabbing the fence and shaking it wildly, my frustration rose along with my panic.

 _"Are you kidding me?"_ I hissed. They raised the barbed wired at the top. I couldn't jump it.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. _'It's okay... calm down.'_ Opening my eyes, I took a deep breath and grabbed on to the metal fence once more, and began climbing.

 _'This is going to hurt like hell.'_

"Alright, I got this, I got thi-"

A loud rustle came from the darkness of the forest, frantic footsteps following soon after. I looked through the holes in the fence, looking for any Risen that might've been drawn by the noise, when I saw it.

Or to be more accurate- them.

Faces. Faces of people hidden in the forest looking directly at me. I jumped down from the with with a thud and glared at the figures.

"Who are you?" I yelled.

The lights from the house glowed, illuminating my figure and casting a shadow in front of me, causing me to turn and look.

And then they were gone.

XXX

 _In the old factory building, a false sense of security hovered around us, the shadow of the lanterns dancing on the walls._

 _"Will this ever end?" The young girl looked at me, fatigue written on her face._

 _"I don't know, hon. I hope so." I leaned against the cold wall, sliding down to the concrete floor. I looked over at her, smiling sadly. She had grown up so much in the last three years. I still remember the frightened little eight year old I had discovered in the attic of an abandoned house. From that moment on, she depended on me, and I depended on her. Walking over to me, she lied down, resting her head on my lap and closing her eyes._

 _I chuckled, stifling a laugh, "Guess that means I'm taking first watch?"_

 _She grunted in response, rolling over._

 _"Goodnight."_

 _"G'night Tonma."_

 _XXXX_

The lights were bright behind me, making me able to see my own shadow be cast over where the figure was. Closing my eyes, I groaned at the flagrant choice now put in front of me. Either leave, or go back. Simple as that. There was the possibility of an eminent threat no matter which choice I took, but now it was a matter of whether or not I'd...

 _"Are you hungry? We haven't got much, but it's better than nothing."_

That girl. She...

At this point, I could hear what was Erwin's voice giving orders in the distance. There was a huge commotion going on, and it was changing my thought process at an alarming rate. They probably found out I'd gotten out and now he's looking for a bone to pick with me. Steeling, I finalized my decision. The only person I'll warn is going to be Tonma.

I could ask her to come with me.

No, not again. Shaking that thought out of my head, I turned back. The lights of the house got closer and the barn made itself known. As I got closer, I prepared for Erwin's worst.

 _'He's probably going to be real pissed this time, but I think I can manage.'_

The yelling got progressively louder, until I could hear some of what was being said. Listening, a foreboding feeling fell into the pit of my stomach, speeding up my pace when I realized I had made a mistake.

A piercing scream rang through the air.

Running faster, it came into sight and it felt as if everything was moving in slow motion. But it really wasn't.

The Risen were just walking really, _really_ , slow.

XXXX

 _ **Fire.**_ _A fire had started. Hands were on me, dragging me out of the building. I struggled against the large figure. If they hadn't attacked us, the lantern wouldn't have broke._ _ **They did this.**_ _I squirmed out of his grasp, stumbling back towards the fire. The figure grabbed me again, this time hoisting me up over his shoulder. I screamed, called out for her..._

 _ **"LET ME GO! I HAVE TO SAVE HER!"**_ _I beat against his back, screaming for my little partner to run, to get out of there. The man just kept walking through._

 _I knew I would never make it inside in time. Soot had already filled my lungs, already stinging my eyes. Tiny burns covered my hands from where I had tried to pry open the door. Tried to get to her._

 _"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." I felt the tears stream down my cheeks, making clean lines on my dirty face._

 _The people behind us looked down, avoiding my eyes._

 _"Help her!" They ignored me. "Help her! Help her,_ _ **please! Someone listen to me!**_ _Help her! Please..." My swollen eyes began to feel heavy._

 _In the distance, flames began to kiss the sky, the bright red and orange sharp against the night sky._

 _"Please help her..."_

 _XXX_

The Risen were everywhere... Petra had screamed, running away from the monsters when they got too close. Auruo came to her aid and started taking them down with a machete. Why...Why didn't they see this? A herd this big...

With nothing to fight back with, running down there would be suicide.

Being noticed by a small group of the herd forced me to run down into barn, a plan formulating in my head. If I could get my hands on one of them, kill it, then I'd have a chance to survive this. Hurriedly, I crawled back through the hole in the wall I had made in the barn,my eyes spotted a rusty rake hidden underneath old hay that looks as if it was abandoned years ago. I'd have to move fast.

One of the Risen was following me, so I waited with the rake, waiting for it to rear its horrific face through so I could strike. It crawled through in a moments notice, the stench of rotting flesh filling the barn. Pale, lifeless eyes looked back at me as it groaned, then I struck. Swinging down with the rake, the points pierced the back of its skull, continuing through its eyes and getting caught on the ground below. Dropping down, I began. Pulling the rake back out from the beast's head, I raised it once more and swung down, piercing its stomach. Ripping open its stomach, I pulled out its intestines and started smearing myself in its blood. The groans of the Risen were getting louder , so I hurried my process, resorting to putting its large intestine around my neck as a morbid scarf. Once I was completely covered, I opened the door of the barn, immediately get swamped with the sounds of the dead, the stench of the living corpses, and the buzzing of the flies that followed. The hoard flooded in. Instinctively flinching, I shut my eyes as I could hear them next to my face, their cries seeping into my core.

None of them attacked me.

Opening my eyes, I found myself in a herd of Risen. I couldn't make a sound, or they'll notice, but my heart was pounding so loud in my ears that I worried that they would notice. I tried to move as fast as I could without being noticed, trying to find somebody. Anybody.

There were at least a few hundred of them, a few large groups spreads out in different areas. Currently being in one of the larger groups, I turned and managed to lock a large amount of them inside of the barn, then moving closer to the house.

"Fucking shit! Erwin, Levi! There's too many!" Auruo's voice sounded out. He was close, slicing down the creatures in front of me, and if I didn't move soon, I'd end up with a machete in between my eyes.

"Come at me, fuckers!"

Smiling lightly, I wished him good luck underneath my breath.

Slithering my way through the crowds once more, I was able to walk up the wooden steps of the house where Erwin and Levi stood, fighting back to back, fighting with duel blades. I got too close, Levi noticed me, thinking I was one of the dead. Swinging at me, I managed to dodge his first attack but he struck me hard in the back with his second blade. I felt it slice through my skin and the sharp pain that followed soon after made me fall to my knees, looking up at him. We made eye contact, and then he knew. His face showed slight shock at the state I was in and so, mustering up a voice, I looked him in the eyes.

"Don't kill me. Please."

 _ **'No! Please, I'm begging you! Leave them be! Please-no! Mom, Dad-!'**_

Not now. Now is not the time. He glanced at me again before letting me pass through. Getting inside the house, once again I was swung at, dodging away before shouting.

"IT'S ME."

Tonma has swung her hatchet at me, but at my words she lowered it down, looking me up and down in shock.

"...Alice?"

"Yeah...Listen, now's not the time for an explanation." I said, looking around at the people who were defending their home. Petra, Gunther, Tonma, and Eld all looked back at me.

"I know that you guys don't know anything about me, but _-shit._ " The pain sparked through my bones, the entirety of my back feeling as though it was on fire. Grabbing the intestine around my neck, I pulled it off of me and threw it towards the ground, then pushing forward, marching towards the now open weapons box.

"What're you doing?" Eld questioned as I slung my bow and arrows over my head, and took my katana back and took it out from its sheath.

Walking back towards the front door, I stopped in front of Tonma. "If any one of those things get in anywhere else in the house, I need you guys to be on it. Alright?"

"What're you planning on doing?" She asked.

I looked at her. What am I doing? I could simply leave this place and leave all these people for dead for all I know. I turned without saying anything, walking back out, sword in hand.

I walked past Levi and Erwin, since the Risen couldn't tell me from their own, and began killing off as many as I could before they took notice. When they did, adrenaline pumped through my veins, and I tuned out everything happening around. It was dead silent, only my heart thumping in my ears. It was happening again, but I didn't care. Nothing was there anymore. They weren't terrifying anymore, I won't remember what I did, the pain in my back isn't there, my-

Suddenly getting pulled back, I slammed into someone's chest, their grip around my waist was tight as they sliced away the Risen that was about to bite into me. Looking at them from my side view- it was Levi. He leaned closer and whispered to me.

"You're here. Stay with me, redhead. Breathe... _and come back."_

And then I was back. I gripped his arm that was around me and looked back at him, and did something that I haven't done for a long while.

I smiled. "Thank you."

Then Tonma came outside. "Those three can handle the inside... I can't-" She started.

Gripping my blade, I cut her off. "It's fine. Have my back, alright?" I glanced at Levi one more time, he looking back at me before returning to stance.

And then we begun. From nighttime to sunrise we spent fighting them off. Our arms burned telling us to stop, but our hearts told us to keep going. After a while, it was pure adrenaline that kept on going. The others handled the Risen that got into the house, while we were outside fighting off the rest. The sun rose, and then it was over.

Tonma slashed down the last one walking, and we were done. Falling down on the grass where I stood, having slowly moved forward with the more Risen we took down, I yelled a victory cry.

The rest soon fell down with me, all of us lying down on the ground without a care in the world as the fact that we were surrounded by corpses and covered from head to toe in blood, me more than the rest.

"How..." Levi lowly breathed out, trying to get oxygen into his lungs.

"Huh...?" I tiredly responded.

"You... You were covered in blood. But you weren't bit, and the guts around-"

My vision blurred slightly. "T-That's a story for a-another time..."

"Alright-"

The adrenaline had finally rushed out of me, leaving an extreme fatigue, to which I finally was aware once again of the throbbing pain in my back.

"Shit..." I mumbled, rolling over and holding my stomach, facing Levi.

"What is it?" He glanced over at me.

My vision was starting to get fuzzy, and the words spoken next only came in bits, all senses were coming back and I had lost too much blood without me noticing.

"I..."

 _"Levi...she...quick...hel...me!"_ Tonma's voice said in bits.

And then it was black.

XXXX

 _She was in front of me. Her red hair and bright eyes directly in front of me._

 _"Wake up! Wake up!...Wa- " My eyes shot open. "-ke up!"_

 _A blonde man's image replaced the young girls. "W-who are you? Where is she? Where is she!" I screamed, pushing myself away from man's icy gaze._

 _My back came in contact with a wooden barn wall as I assessed my situation. Seven pairs of eyes stared at me, some filled with pity, others with boredom._

 _"Hello, my name's Erwin Smith. Do you know why you're here?" The man with the ice blue eyes ignored my previous question._

 _"I said. Where. Is. She." Tears pooled in my eyes, and I began to shake. From fear, sadness, or anger, I'm not sure. Maybe all three._

 _The man's, Erwin's, gaze faltered for a second, as his eyes looked down at the dirty floor. Time seemed to pass slower in the next few moments._

 _"She's dead..."_

 _And that is when the world truly ended._


	5. Chapter 5

Sitting upright, pain shot through the entirety of my back, causing me to fall down. I tensed in preparation for the pain that was to come, only to have a pair of hands stop me before I could come into contact with the couch.

"If you get hurt again, Tonma'll have my head."

Looking up, brown eyes clashed with piercing blue. Erwin slowly put me in a position that would make it easier for me to sit upright. Once I was positioned, he sat down on the edge of the couch and looked at me. His expression was enough to tell me that he wasn't very thrilled to be the one to have seen me wake up.

My head throbbed and I hissed under my breath, putting my hand to my forehead. Erwin stood for a second, reaching for an ice pack that was next to all of the supplies on the table that they must have been taking care of me with. There were bloody sewing needles, and the tightness on my back was enough to know that they had given me stitches. He held it out to me and I took it, mumbling a quiet 'thanks' before I pressed it to my forehead and sighed when it cooled my heated skin.

It was silent before Erwin spoke up. "You know..."

I looked him in the eye. "What?"

"You were out for quite a while."

Squinting at him, I shifted in my seat trying to find a better position to sit in. "I wonder _why."_

 _"Don't give me that tone, girl_. We could have let you bleed out, but we didn't. You 'ought to be grateful."

"Most of your group wouldn't have saved me, especially not you."

"You're right. I wouldn't." He snapped back.

The tension in the room didn't last long as another voice filled the air. "So the redhead's up I take it?"

Turning to face the entrance of the living room, two faces appeared. Levi followed behind Tonma as she held a bowl of water. Erwin stood up to try and help, but she simply brushed him aside, smiling lightly in my direction. Lowering the ice pack from my head, I tried a small grin, but that only received a glare from Erwin and a sarcastic look from Levi.

"I've got it from here, Erwin. I won't bother you with favors anymore." Tonma remarks without making a glance in his direction, choosing to hand me the bowl of water.

"Tonma, did you hear what I-" Erwin began.

 **"I heard enough."**

Erwin took a final look between Tonma and I before exiting the room. He stopped in front of Levi, whispering something to him. As Erwin spoke, Levi never deterred his vision away from me. I had the chance to break gaze once Tonma spoke up.

"How are you feeling?"She questioned me. Levi silently sat down on the seat across from us, crossing his legs and leaning back with his arms crossed.

"As good as any person would be if they were in my condition, but it's tolerable." I responded, taking a sip of water from the bowl.

Smiling at my response, she took the now empty bowl that I held out to her. "Well, at least you're honest."

I couldn't help but let out a breathy laugh. "I mean-"

"Let's hope you _continue_ to be honest, then. Now that you're awake..." Levi interrupted, standing up and stopped until until he was in front of me, forcing Tonma to move aside. He bent down and gripped my chin, giving me no other choice to look in his direction. He was only about a foot away from me and the piercing look in his eyes was enough for me to get on edge.

Returning his look with the same amount of ferocity, I sat up straight, denying the pain that ran through my back. "I'm taking it that there's something the blonde one wanted you to discuss with me? I mean, I'd say for him to tell it to my face, but he seems like the kind of person to let other people do his dirty work."

Levi lowered his grip from my chin to my neck and tightened it further, maintaining his glare. "Now that you've talked all the shit _you_ want, you can start talking about what _I_ care about."

I grabbed his hand that was around my neck, my gaze softening. I wasn't up to par to fight this man, not right now with my current injuries. His grip loosened immediately, and I was left with his hand in mine limply. Sighing, I let go and he sluggishly moved his hand back to his side.

"Levi, please. She only just woke up you can tell Erwin that I didn't let you speak with her. Just-" Tonma tried.

Levi turned around to face Tonma and responded. "Yes, he _did_ ask me to talk to her, but this is something that we _all_ need to know after what happened in the last few days."

Tonma frowned, not pleased with the outcome, but sat down next to me. "Alright, but if I see that she's not feeling well-even the slightest bit- tell Erwin I'll talk to him _personally."_

Nodding, Levi stood and returned to his original seat across from me and Tonma, once again leaning back with his arms and legs crossed.

"What is it that you want to know?" I asked, shifting to try and find the least painful position to sit upright in, as it was obvious that I wouldn't be able to move until he got the answers he wanted.

Finally, the bored expression on his face changed. He leaned forwards, propping his elbows on his knees and resting his chin atop his folded hands.

"Why the _hell_ aren't you dead?"

I could feel my face flush and my eyes widen at his words. Tonma scolded him but he once again cut her off.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, Tonma. Things have been absolute shit since she first showed up." He hissed out, glaring at me.

"What do you want to me to explain...?" I spoke, although I knew what he wanted to know. The stitched up wounds on my back are proof that he saw me and that he knows. Sighing, I sat up yet again, wincing once more and causing the gaze of both Tonma and Levi to fall upon me. Levi didn't have to say a word, for the look he gave stated clearly that I couldn't deny his demands.

"You might want to have everyone in the room when I explain."

"And why the hell should they?"

"Because it'll save their damn lives. _Now, get them in here."_

 _XXX_

Everyone was then either standing or sitting on front of me, awaiting an answer. Tonma no longer sat next to me, instead replaced with Levi who had chosen to make sure that I'd stay conscious while Tonma was sent to fetch the others. While he sat next to me, he glanced my way every now and then and I made sure to express that I didn't need his help every time that he did.

Tonma was currently whisper yelling at Erwin. It must be about Levi's interrogation, but their bickering didn't last long once I began.

"So what exactly do ya'll want to know?" I questioned, ignoring the side glance I got from Levi at the use of my slang. As soon as the words had left my mouth, I was attacked with an onslaught of a variety of questions.

"Where's your group?"-"How did you get out?"-"How old are you?"

Questions, both relevant and not were being thrown at me faster than I could answer them. My head pounded and my vision blurred, the voices becoming one continuous drone. Unsure as to what I should say, I stammered incoherently.

Erwin's voice boomed out above the rest. "What's your name?" Tonma glanced at him and then me, stepping closer until she stood next to where Levi sat, giving me a faint assuring smile.

"I'm..." I couldn't help but glance at Tonma as I realized that she was the only one that I had told my name to up until this point.

"I'm Alice."

Petra stepped forward, making Erwin pause before he could continue his verbal assault. She looked quite nervous, making feel a bit sympathetic. "How old are you?"

"...Don't know. I could tell you if I had the time to keep track of all that stuff. I was fourteen when this all started, though, if that helps in anyway. I think I'm eighteen, because my birthday's in winter. Winter's passed by four times since then, so..." I left it at that, folding my hands and resting them in my lap.

Auruo pulled Petra back, infuriated. "Enough with the shit! There's stuff that needs to be done. The corpses are rotting outside for fuck's sake!"

Petra glared at Auruo, slapping his hand away from her shoulder, hissing a quiet 'language.' Erwin stepped forward in front of the rest of the group. "Auruo's right. There are things that need to be done, and the corpse fire is tonight. There's no time for idle chat."

"So...Redhead." Levi stated.

"How'd you walk through them- the biters?" Erwin questioned.

I knew that the question would come up. It always does. Shifting, I unfolded my hands and sighed. "Doing what I did was a last resort."

"I don't care. _How'd you do it?"_ Erwin demanded.

I stayed quiet, looking around only to come into contact with awaiting eyes. They were all expecting an answer. _Oh.. I get it now..._

"You guys don't know _anything_ about them, do you?"

"What makes you think-"

"You all found this place and haven't left since. You're all afraid of what's out there. aren't ya'll? It doesn't matter, though. It's not just the bite that-"

 **"Enough.** " Levi yelled, startling everyone in the room. He glared at Erwin, then at me, snatching me by my shoulder and pulling me up and pushing me along, past the living room and heading towards the door.

"You're fucking feisty for having just nearly _died."_ He pulled me along, shoving me out the door and forcing me to sit on an old wooden bench on the patio of the house.

"Petra?" I heard shuffling and saw the short strawberry blonde come out of the house, looking between Levi and me. "Wait out here with her while I talk to Erwin."

He looked back to me. "Don't you dare think about trying to pull some shit." With that said, he marched back inwards, slamming the door shut behind him.

There was an awkward tension that was eating me away from the inside. Petra sat down next to me, refusing to say a single word , instead continuously glancing at me every moment she could. That's when I saw it.

A few meters away from the house was an unfinished pile of all the corpses of the buzzing of flies was faint from where we were sitting, but I'm sure if we had been any closer, we'd be swamped. A handful of corpses had yet to be added to the pile, laying in random patched around the house like garden gnomes. Pieces of wood had been set around the pile and the grass around had been cleared. Snapping my gaze to Petra, I guess it must have been obvious what I was thinking.

She smiled at me. "Levi told us that you jumped into the horde head first after you left the house..."

Looking down, I remember the thoughts that had been going through my head at the time. "Yeah, I did."

"W-we're good people, you know."

I looked up at Petra, but her gaze was no longer on me, cast upon the pile of corpses with a melancholy look in her eyes. "We've all been through terrible things. We've all lost people close to us, but we hold on strong. This place...it's all we've _got."_

 _She's smiling, but the pain is clear on her face._

"We've all done some things, but we did them in order to survive. To each other, we're like heroes-"

 **"There's no such thing as heroes."**

She looked at me this time, only I wasn't paying her any mind. The flies were buzzing in the distance and something was boiling deep inside. She tried to speak but I cut her off.

"There are no heroes. Especially not in _this_ world. Tell me, have you ever looked into one of those thing's _eyes?"_

"N-no, why would-"

"They do this funny little twitch every now and then, you know why? It's the brain jolting them back alive. You see, the body is trying to _die,_ but the virus _won't let them go."_

The door slammed open once more, revealing Levi, hair tousled and an angry look on his face.

"Oi, redhead. Come on."

I nodded and started to stand. Petra went to reach and help me, but I swatted her hands away, mumbling a quiet 'I'm fine' under my breath.

"Don't be stupid, redhead." Levi told me, extending his arm out towards me.

I stood there and slapped his hand away. I was sick and tired of these people not understanding the word 'no.' Glaring at him, I walked passed him and through the door slowly. I was denying him the right to see me in pain. Even if it's unbearable, I won't let them see me cry. My back was on fire and every step I took was worse than the last, making my head spin. As I headed into the living room, I could tell others were just as surprised to see me standing.

"Redhead, what're you-" Erwin exclaimed.

"You asked for my name. It's **Alice** , not redhead. Now let's get this shit over with."

XXXX

"You were covered in blood with an... _intestine_...wrapped around your neck like a _scarf."_ Petra started.

"Yeah." I rubbed the back on my neck, waiting for her to go on. I was seated in the middle of Tonma and Levi with Erwin, Petra, Eld, Auruo and Gunther either standing or sitting across from us.

"You were covered in more blood than all of us _combined."_ Erwin stated, to which Levi grimaced. "They didn't touch you when they _should have."_

"Why didn't they?" Tonma finished quietly.

"They can't tell you from one of their own if you mask yourself in their scent. You've got to be absolutely silent and walk _with_ the flow of the herd. Walk at their pace and don't draw any attention to yourself. You've got to make sure you're covered well enough. I didn't get a chance to finish before they started gnawing at the barn walls, hence the intesta-scarf."

"That's fucking insane..." Auruo states, bewildered.

"That's why it's called a _last resort."_ I retorted. "Anything can go wrong if you don't know what you're doing. You could be eaten alive in the blink of an eye."

Nobody said a word as they were all processing this shocking information. It was Petra that spoke up from amidst the silence. "Did your group tell you about this?"

"I don't have a group."

"It's impossible for you to have lived this long on your own!" Eld cried out.

"Why does it matter?" I snapped. I turned towards Erwin. "Are we done? You've got what you've wanted now."

Erwin stared at me blankly for a few moments, his thinking process evident in his expression. He turned around and began to leave the living room. "Very well, you don't need to be escorted out, I suppose?"

"No!"

Erwin stopped in his tracks and menacingly turned around. Tonma stood, fists clenched and face flushed. Erwin's eyes widened for a second before regaining his composure. Walking until he stood a few feet away from Tonma, then commencing the quarry.

"Excuse me?"

"You're not going to throw her out there to die like this." She demanded.

"And why not?" Erwin glared, his figure towering over her.

"You know very well what I'm talking about, Erwin. Do you really just think that you'll always get what you want? This time..." She carried.

 _"What?"_

 ** _"There will be no fire."_**

 ** _XXXX_**

That's how it ended. Erwin left without another word, no one truly understanding how Tonma's words made him submit and leave the room. After he was gone, the rest of my time was spent sleeping on the couch. For the second time that day, I found myself rising slowly rising from the couch, noticing immediately that room was significantly darker. Looking around the dimly lit room, I removed the blanket that was covering me. I was in new clothing as well- an oversized long sleeved white shirt, and short knee length jeans that were clearly ripped or cut to be the length that they were. I was worried at first, but the faint memory of Tonma waking me up and handing me these clothes played back through my mind.

"Oh..." I mumbled to no one in particular.

The amount of light in the room was increasing and decreasing, creating a flickering windows were being illuminated by an outside light-"You're up!"

At the living room entrance stood Petra, she smiled at me, to which I returned the favor with a light wave. She must have noticed my consistent glancing towards the windows, stepping forward and ending my confusion.

"The guys started to burn the corpses. Levi's sitting outside to make sure that it doesn't spread out of control."

I nodded, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. Slowly, I pushed myself upwards enough until I could use my legs to force me into a standing position. At this point. you'd think that everyone would know well enough that I didn't want help unless I asked for it, and yet, Petra quickly walked over to me and supported me while I stood, even wrapping the wool blanket around me.

"Wait here just one second, alright?" She smiled, quickly running off into the kitchen, returning with a plate of buttered bread and a small block of cheddar cheese.

"Tonma went off to bed, but she wanted to make sure you ate." She explained.

I cautiously took the plate out of her hands and looked to the window once more. Gripping the plate tighter, I asked the question that had been plaguing my mind. "Do you think I could go outside...?"

"There shouldn't be a problem, considering that Levi's out there...but hey?" Petra lately questioned.

I walked passed her slowly. adjusting the blanket around my torso as I did so. When I reached the mesh screen door that led outside, I saw the bright colorful flames glowing in contrast against the dark surroundings that made up the night. Illuminated by the lovely oranges and yellows was the figure of the short raven haired man sitting on the staircase that the patio of the house.

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted you to know- Tonma's not the only one that sees the good in you."

"...Thanks."

Without turning back, I opened the screen door and made my way outside.

"How's the redhead?" Levi questioned plainly without turning around. I smiled lightly, thinking of Petra's words.

 _Tonma's not the only one that sees the good in you._

"She's doing just fine! Bit sore from the wounds that're most certain to leave scars."

At this, Levi glanced back, his bored expression changing for a split second as he saw me. He clicked his tongue and shifted himself over, making room for me to sit. I shuffled over and he grabbed my forearm and supported me as I sat down.

"But hey, I'd take scars any day." I finished, taking a bite from the block of cheese on my plate. I tore the bread in half, silently offering one half to him. Levi looked at it, to which I held it out more, gesturing for him to take it.

"Tch." He took the piece of bread from my hands and ate it unceremoniously. "Redhead, you really are something."

"Please, just call me Alice." I pleaded with a mouthful of bread.

I looked over and saw Levi cringe at my lack of manners, making me grin at his need for cleanliness. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I set the now empty plate on the on the stair behind us, choosing to stare at the fire until he spoke once more.

"You better not have messed up my shirt with the shit you ate." Levi commented.

I nodded, not wanting to point out I only ate bread and that can't stain shirts. Wrapping the blanket over my shoulders, listening to the silent crackle of the fire. The sheer amount of those things we killed the night before... compared the small amount of those still alive... It's-

"Don't think about it." I looked up only to come into direct eye contact with Levi's stormy eyes.

"You did it again." I stated, shifting myself to face more towards him. He gave me a questioning look, gesturing for me to continue. "Back during the horde, you did it, too."

"What _exactly_ did I do?"

"You pulled me back." We gazed at each other, looking at each other for something in particular, searching. After a moment or so, I sighed, glancing towards the fire only to return my gaze back to him.

"The bite isn't all that does you in, you know."

Since we were looking at one another, I was able to see the emotions flash through his eyes. Taking a deep breath, I brushed my short and choppy hair out of my face.

"What're you talking about?" He asked.

"You know the drill, Levi-" He gave me a look when I said his name. "You get bit, you die and you turn. However, that's not all. We all turn no matter what, because whatever made _those_ things turn- it's airborne-and we breathe it in everyday..."

"How do you know this?" Levi was sitting upright now and he was gripping my leg with such strength that I couldn't help but wince. He saw this, letting go, but leaving his hand atop my leg. Slowly and cautiously, I put my hand atop of his, looking him in his eyes that were dimly lit by the fire, creating the affect of an ocean that was set aflame. We were both tinted the colors that the flames gave off- the same as those that paint the sky when the sun rises. Looking at him, I found it. _That same look_. He knows what's out there because he has lost. He's felt hope and pain and _sorrow-_

 _He knows._

"Levi, there's going to be a time where you're fighting in this world and you're going to be covered in so much blood, but you can't tell if it belongs to the risen, you, or _your friends."_

He was looking through me, but now, it was I that was shaking, my hold on his hand seeming desperate. He put his hand atop my head, ruffling my hair.

"Brat."

The fire chose this moment to shine brighter than it has in this dark night, revealing us to the pitch blackness of the night.

"You're not bad." The smile wasn't evident on his face, but shown brightly in his eyes.

"Yeah...well, for a cold hearted bastard, you're a real softy." I retorted, pulling myself away and folding my arms underneath the blanket.

I heard him shift a bit, before the creaking of the stairs indicated that he was standing up. He mess with my hair once more, making me bury myself deeper into the blanket. Hearing the screen door, I knew he was leaving but what I heard next made me turn around to look.

"Alice." He called quietly, leaning against the door frame.

"Hmm?"

"Keep the shirt."


End file.
